We bought this 1964 Holiday Rambler Trav’ler Model 17.5 from our 90-year-old neighbor. It was still plugged in and sitting under its purpose-built carport. The trailer had its problems—mice, broken pipes, mildew—but it also had history. Only one family had owned it since new, and they had traveled everywhere in it. Two ladies of the Lillard family are especially interested in our refurbishment: our neighbor Rose and her sister-in-law, Betsy. We call the trailer “Betsy-Rose” and even made a custom sticker for the side and rear of our Trav’ler showing their profiles.
I call this project a refurbishment rather than a restoration, since our plan was to keep everything as original as possible while bringing her back to life. That we did—with a great deal of effort. After sitting still for decades, Betsy-Rose finally moved again and soon went on her first camping trip. There is a lot more to this story, as you might imagine, but Betsy-Rose quickly became a regular camper once more, with all her systems functioning.
Our plans changed at one point when we bought a modern trailer for a big trip and thought we would sell Betsy-Rose once I repainted her. Well, things can change, can’t they? I began the repaint with the intention of replicating the original factory colors. Sometime in the early 1980s, Betsy-Rose had been covered in a dull tan. Fortunately, Rose had plenty of photos to show us what she looked like when new. Rose has been thrilled to see this old gal getting her facelift, and watching her eyes light up with each bit of progress has been very rewarding.
I used catalyzed urethane automotive paint and primers, and the result was stunning. When my wife saw the finish, she no longer wanted to sell Betsy-Rose. To the great delight of Rose and Betsy, we are keeping her and selling the modern trailer instead. She has just about everything the newer one offered—only in simpler form: toilet, shower, stove/oven, hot water, and room to sleep five.
Attached are a few photos of our refurbished camper, inside and out. Over time, we’ve restored every system: the stove/oven, refrigerator, wall heater, toilet, windows, brakes, wheels, dual-voltage lights, and even the gas light. The pressurized water system was one of the first things I repaired, and now I’m rebuilding the water heater, adding a new holding tank, and modernizing the system. I may eventually hide an air conditioner in Betsy-Rose, but until then, she is perfect just the way she is.
By Scot Thompson
